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BREEGH LOADING GUN.

No. 474.288. ,Patented Amy 3, 1892.'

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J. B. G. A. CANET. BRBEGHLOADING GUN.

No. 474,288. Patented May 3, 1892.

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. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEAN BAPTISTE GUSTAVE ADCLPII'E CANET, oF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNCR oF oNEI-IALF To THE SIE JOSEPH wIIITwoRTI-I a COMPANY, LIMITED,

OF OPENSHAW, ENGLAND.

BREECH-LOADING GUN.

SIEECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,288, dated May 3, 1892.

Application filed February 18, 1889. Serial No. 300,299. (No model.) Patented in France J' une 7, 1887. No. 184,079, and in EnglandJuly 12, 1887, No. 9,813.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JEAN BAPTISTE GUSTAVE ADOLPHE CANET, engineer, a citizen of the Republic of France, and a resident of Paris,

France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Guns, (for which Ihave obtained patents in the following countries: in France, No.184,079, dated June 7, 1887, and in Great Britain, No. 9,813,

Io dated July 12,1887,) of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to gu ns of the kind or class wherein the breech is closed by a breech- I 5screw provided with an interrupted screwthread adapted to engage with a corresponding interrupted screw-thread in the breech of the gun.

My said invention comprises means whereby the disengagement and withdrawal of the breech-screw from the breech and the swinging of the saidbreech-screw, with its supporting-bracket, about the hinge or pivot of the latter, so as to leave the breech clear for loading, may be effected by the continued move-4 ment oi' a crank-handle or other operating de vice in one direction and the closing of the breech may be effected by the movement of the said crank-handle or other operating device in the reverse-direction.

My said invention also comprises means wherebythebracketforsupporting thebreechscrew will be locked to the gun until the said breech-screw is disengaged and withdrawn from the breech and will then be unlocked from the gun, so that it is free to turn with its supporting-bracket about the hinge or pivot of the latter, and at the same time the breechscrew will be locked to the said bracket.

4o My said invention also comprises means for opening and closing the breech by hydraulic power whatever may be the position of the gun upon its slide.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my said invention may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal central section of part of a gun having my present improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the said gun. Fig. 3 is a hori- 5o zontal section on theline, Fig. 2, the breechscrew being shown in plan. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section on the line x 0c', Fig. 2, the breechscrew being shown in the position which it occupies when disengaged from the screwthread in the breech. Fig. 5 is a section on the line :r2 m2, Fig. 2. Fig. 5a is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the breech-screw and its bracket or carrier partly turned about the hinge-joint of the latter to move them away 6o from the breech. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line y y', Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a rear elevation, partly in transverse section, illustrating another form or modification of my invention. Fig. 9 is a vertical section on the line y2 y2, Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is a side elevation illustratinga further modification of my said invention.

A is the body of the gun; B, the breech- 7o screw; C, the bracket for supporting the said breech-screw when out of the breech. This bracket is hinged or pivoted at C to the body of the gun.

The breech-screw B is provided with an extension or lug a, formed with a groove d. A block or bearing b is fitted to slide to and fro in this groove, and in the said sliding block or bearing works a pin orv stud c', formed on or rigidly attached to a sleeve c. A nut CZ is 8o fitted to rotate in the sleeve c, and in this nut works a screw-shaft e. This screw-shaft is fitted to rotate in suitable bearings C2 U3 in the bracket C, but is prevented from endwise movement therein. The nutd has formed on its lower end a toothed pinion f, f'or the purpose hereinafter specified.

A toothed pinion g is fixed upon the screwshaft e below the bearing C3 and is geared by means of an intermediate toothed wheel h 9o with a toothed pinion j, mounted upon the pivot-pin C of the bracket C. The said pinion j has formed therewith or firmly attached thereto a worm-wheel Zc, with which is geared a worm or endless screw Z, fixed upon a shaft Z', carried in bearings in the breech of the gun and provided with a crank-handle Z2 for operating it. The shaft Z is in some instances movement, as in Fig. 4.

provided with a bevel-pinion Z3, whereby it is connected with suitable mechanism for operating the breech by hydraulic or other power. In this case the crank-handle Z2 may be dispensed with.

The sleeve c is formed with a toothed projection c2, which engages with a rib or projection m, formed on the bracket (j, for the purpose of guiding the said sleeve in its tip-anddown movement and preventing its rotation withthe nut d. The said ribor projection m, moreover, engages with the pinion fand pre vents rotation of the said pinion until the latter is raised, as hereinafter described. sufficiently to bring it opposite a slot or gap m in the said rib m. As the width of this slot is slightly greater than the thickness of the pinionf, the latter will then be free to rotate with the nut d and screw-shaft c, as hereinafter specified; but the said slot or gap is not of sufficient width to permit the disengagement of the sleeve c from the said rib.

The breech-screw Bis provided with a longitudinal toothed rack fn, Fig. 3, with which the pinionf is adapted to engage, as hereinafter described, for the purpose of withdrawing the said breech-screw from the breech.

I provide the device hereinafter described whereby the bracket C will be locked to the breech of the gun while the breech is closed, and as soon as the breech-screw is withdrawn from the breech the said bracket will be unlocked from the latter and the breech-screw locked to the said bracket, and whereby in the operation of closing the breech, after the breech-screw is swung into position to enter the breech, the said breech-screw will be unlocked from the bracket C and the latter again locked to the breech. This locking device comprises a bolt p, which is fitted to slide in a slot in the bracket C. One end of this bolt is adapted to enter a notch in a projection or lug q. formed on or rmly attached to t-he body of the gun, when the breech is closed and the said bolt is at one extremity of its The other end of the said bolt is adapted to enter a notch B in the breech-screw when the latter is withdrawn from the breech and the said bolt is at the other extremity of its movente-nt, as in Fig. 5a. The notch in the projection q is made with an inclined surface q', and a stud r, provided with an inclined surface r', is firmlyfixed in the body of the gun. The bolt p is made with correspondinginclinedsurfaces, so that it will be automatically operated in the opening and closing of the breech, as hereinafter specified.

To open the breech, the shaft Z is rotated in the proper direction by means of the crankhandle Z2 or otherwise. Motion is thus transmitted through the worm Z, Worin-wheel 7c, and toothed wheels j h g to the screw-shaft e, which by its rotation raises the nut CZ, pinionf, and sleeve c. he pin or stud c of the sleeve c,

acting upon the extension or lug d of the breech-screw, turns the said breech-screw about its axis and disengages it from the screw-thread in the breech of the gun. As soon as this disengagement is effected the upper end of the sleeve c abuts against the bearing C2 and the pinion f arrives opposite the slot m in the rib m and gears with the rack n on the breech-screw. The nut d and pinion f then rotate with the screw-shaft e, the said nut turning in the sleeve c, and the breechscrew is thus withdrawn from the breech. The boltp up to this moment has served for firmly locking the bracket C to the breech of the gun. At the termination of the rearward movement of the breech-screw in the said bracket the pinion f abuts against the extremity of the rack n, thus preventing further rotation of the said pinion and the screw-shaft c about their common axis, and the notch B in the breech-screw is in line with the bolt p. In the continued rotation of the 'shaft Z the pinion j, acting upon the intermediate wheel 71 turns or swings the bracket C, together with the breech-screw, about the hinge or pivot C. At the commencement of this movement the bolt p, being acted upon by the inclined surface q', is disengaged from the projection q. The bracket C is thus unlocked from the breech of the gun, so that it can turn freely about its hinge or pivot C', and the bolt p is at the same time caused to enter the notch B in the breech-screw, thereby locking the said breech-screw to the bracket C, as in Fig. 5%

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the rotation of the breech-screw about its axis, its withdrawal from the breech, and the swinging of the bracket about its hinge or pivot take place in succession during the rotation of the crank-handle in one direction. The closing of the breech is effected by the continued rotation of the said crank-handle in the reverse direction. It will be seen, moreover, that in the opening of the breech the movement of the bolt p in one direction is effected automatically by the inclined surface q when the rearward movementnof the breech-screw is arrested by the contact of the pinionfwith the extremity of the rack fn, which prevents further rotation ofthe said pinion f. In the closing of the breech the movement of the sliding bolt p in the reverse direction is effected by the inclined surface fr.

To provide for the opening and closing of the breech by hydraulic power, I employa hydraulic cylinder s, provided with a piston t, the rod t' of which extends through both ends of the said cylinder and is firmly secured between the pivoted beams or other supports upon which the gun is arranged to slide. The cylinder s, which is capable of longitudinal movement, is provided with a rack s. This rack is connected by a suitable train of gearing with the bevel-wheel Z3, as shown in Fig. 2, or with a bevel-wheel a, fixed on the shaft of the pinion h, as in Figs. 8 and 9.

In the modification of my invention illustrated in Figs, 8 and 9 the rack s is geared with a pinion v, fixed on a shaft o. This shaft IOO IIO

is carried in bea-rings in across-piece or transom D', connecting the pivoted beams D. A toothed Wheel n2 is also fixed on the shaft o and is geared with a pinion w', fixed on a shaft w, which is supported in a bearing wg, attached to the said transom, and in a bearing w3, movable with the gun. A bevel-wheel u is mounted upon theshaft w and i's geared with the bevel-wheel u. The bevel-wheel u is connected with the shaft w by means of a key fitting in a long keyway in the said shaft, so that although the said bevel-wheel u must rotate with the shaft u; it can slide longitudinally with the gun in the recoil and return movements of the latter. Therefore the opening and closing of the breech can be effected by means of the said hydraulic apparatus, whatever may be the position of the gun upon the pivoted beams D and whatever may be the angle of elevation of the gun.

In the modification of my invention shown in Fig. l0 I provide for accomplishing this result by the employment of the following mechanism-that is to say, the bevel-wheel Z3 is geared with a bevel-wheel u', fixed upon a shaft lw, which is supported in bearings attached to the gun or to the cradle or carriage in which it is mounted, so that the said shaft will move with the gun. A bevel-wheel u2 is mounted upon the shaft w and is so connected therewith that the said bevel-Wheel u2 will rotate With the shaft, but the said shaft can slide Alongitudinally in the said bevelwheel, the latter being supported in a bearing attached to one of the pivoted beams D. The bevel-wheel u2 is geared with another bevel-Wheel 'tt3,ixed upon a shaft n4, which is i supported in bearings also attached' to the said pivoted beam and upon which is fixed a toothed Wheel uf. This toothed wheel a5 is geared with another toothed Wheel a6, fixed upon a shaft a7, which serves as the pivot for the said beams D and which is arranged to be operated by manual power or'by means of suitable hydraulic or other apparatus. By this arrangement the mechanism for opening and closingthe breech may be operated whatever may be the position of the gun'upon the said beams or its angle of elevation. Moreover, the operating-handle does not require to move with the gun in its recoil and return movements.

My improvements are applicable to all guns provided'with means for opening and closing the breech by the continued movement in one or the other direction of gear-wheels or of a screw-shaft fitted to rotate in suitable bearings but restrained from endwise movement, and the construction of my improved mechanism may be modiiied according to the construction and arrangement of the devices for operating the breech-screw and its supportingbracket.

Vhat I claim is- 1. In a breech-loading gun,the combination, with the breech-screw and the pivoted bracket for supporting the same, of a grooved or slotted extension or lug on the said breech-screw, a block or bearing arranged to slide in the said grooved or slotted extension, a screwshaft fitted to rotate in bearings in the said bracket, a nut working on the said screwshaft, and a sleeve secured upon the said nut and provided with a pin or stud working in the said sliding block or bearing, substantialiy as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a breech-loading gun, the combination, with the breech-screw and the pivoted bracket for supporting the same, of a block or bear ing fitted to slide in a groove or slot in an extension of the said breech-screw,ascrew-shaft tted to rotate in bearings in the said bracket, a nut on the said screw-shaft having formed with it a pinion adapted to gear with a longitudinal rack on the breech-screw, a sleeve on the said nut provided with a pin or stud working in the said sliding block or bearing, a

pinion fixed upon the said screw-shaft, a pinion mounted on the pivot of the said bracket and geared with the pinion on the said screwshaft, and means for rotating the said pinion on the pivot of the bracket, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a breech-loading gu n, the combination, with the breech screw B and -the pivoted bracket C, of the grooved or slotted extension ct and rack n von the said breech-screw, the sliding block or bearing arranged to move in .the groove or slot of the said extension, the

screw-shaft e, the nut cl, working thereon, the pinion f, attached to the said nut and adapted to gear with the said rack n on the breechscrew, a sleeve c on the said nut, provided with a pin or stud c', working in the said sliding block or bearing, a pinion g, fixed on the said screw-shaft, a pinion j, mounted on the pivot C of the said bracket and geared with the said pinion g, and means, substantially such as above described, for imparting rotary motion to the said pinion j, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a breech-loading gun, the combination, with the breech-screw and the pi voted bracket for supporting the same, of locking mechanism comprising a bolt fitted to slide in the said bracket and adapted to enter a notch in the breech-screw when the latter is withdrawn from the breech, substantially as and for the purposes above specified.

5. In a breech-loading gun, the combination, with the breech-screw and the hinged or pivoted bracket for supporting the same, of alocking-bolt which slides in the said bracket, a projection or lug 011 the body of the gun, provided with a notch, into which the said bolt is adapted to enter, and with an inclined surface which when the said bracket is swung about its pivot to open the breech disengages the bolt from the said notch and causes it to entera notch in the breech-screw, and a pin or stud xed in the body of the gun, which when the said bracket is swung about its pivot to close the breech disengages the said bolt from the breech-screw and causes it to IOC IXO

enter the notch in the said projection or lug, substantially as and for the purposes above specified.

6. In a breech-loading gun arranged to recoil upon a beam or slide, the combination, With a breech 4 screw having interrupted threads and a bracket or carrier hinged to the gun for supporting the said breech-screw when out of the breech, of breech-opening mechanism comprising a shaft supported in bearings attached to the said bracket or carrier, a pinion fixed on the said shaft, an operating-shaft, and gearing connectingthe said operating-shaft with the said pinion and comprising a toothed wheel rotatively connected with but free to slide longitudinally upon a shaft parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gun, whereby the opening and closing of the breech can be effected Whatever may be the position of the gun upon its beam or slide and whatever may be the angle of elevation of the gun.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JEAN BAPTISTE GUS'IAVE ADOLPIIE CANET.

Witnesses:

J. L. RATHBONE, R. J. PRESTON. 

